The Adobe Foundation today announced the recipients of its first annual Creativity Scholarships, available to teens who participate in the Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) program. For the 2013-2014 academic year, scholarships have been awarded to 25 students from 13 countries, including Argentina, India, Kenya, Sri Lanka and the United States. Recipients demonstrated outstanding academic achievement, a strong creative portfolio and commitment to pursuing a career in a creative field.

Designed to ignite creative confidence in youth, AYV is helping support the next generation of creative thinkers and equipping them with resources to help advance their education. AYV follows a creativity curriculum and provides the digital tools, training and professional mentorship students need to develop essential skills such as self-expression, ideation, collaboration, flexibility and persistence. All AYV students produce original projects in animation, video, photography and other digital media categories, spotlighting issues important to them including poverty, bullying and climate change.

Adobe’s recent State of Create global benchmark study, published in April 2012, surfaced concerns about a “creativity gap” in five of the world’s largest economies. The research revealed that four in 10 people believed they do not have access to the tools needed to support creativity in the classroom.

“I believe creativity-focused programs are an important part of education because they allow students to express themselves and build confidence,” said Eva Miller, an AYV participant and 2013 Creativity Scholarship recipient. “Through AYV, I’ve gained invaluable skills and discovered that I want to become a filmmaker. The Creativity Scholarship is giving me the opportunity to pursue my dreams and make a positive impact through my films.”

About the Creativity Scholarships

The Creativity Scholarship program provides financial support to students who are in their final year of high school, upper secondary school or the first year of post-secondary education. Applicants must have participated in the AYV program through Adobe’s network of more than 800 strategic partners in 52 countries. The Creativity Scholarship program is administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE), an independent not-for-profit founded in 1919. IIE is among the world’s largest and most experienced international education and training organizations.

About Adobe Youth Voices

Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) is the Adobe Foundation’s global initiative to ignite Creative Confidence in youth by empowering them to find their voice and make it heard. The youth involved in AYV spotlight the issues they care about by creating original media – a process that fosters their passion to make a difference while providing them with the creative skills essential to success in the world today. Through programs like AYV, and by increasing creativity in education, Adobe believes we will better equip young people to be the problem solvers, critical thinkers and leaders of tomorrow.

About the Adobe Foundation

The Adobe Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation created and funded by Adobe Systems Incorporated to leverage human, technological and financial resources to drive social change and community improvements.